Shall We Dance
by Russa
Summary: It is the time of the annual Arachnian Ball! Corona usually expects to just sit on the sidelines and wonders if she should skip it all together. But this year, Corona is in for a wonderful surprise.


Hi there! This is my first time trying to write a romantic fic. This story features my favourite Spider Riders pairing, Hunter and Corona.

I hope you like it!

**Shall We Dance**

Corona sat in a chair, busily making paper flowers. On the table beside her was a colourful pile of already made ones. She looked up from her work and over to where her friends were working. Hunter was over by the stage and the dance floor, helping Prince Lumen hang bright coloured ribbon-streamers up. Of course, Prince Lumen would much rather take a nap, but Hunter had insisted that everyone should help.

"C'mon, Prince Lumen, lift your end of the streamer up higher," Hunter called. "It's lopsided."

"Yes, and it feels like my arms are going to fall off," Prince Lumen complained. "I shouldn't have to be doing this kind of work. I am a prince."

"Hang in there, prince," Hunter said, grinning. "We're almost done."

Prince Lumen gave a loud groan. "Finally!"

Corona giggled. Prince Lumen could be quite lazy and usually tried to get out of any "hard labour" if he could help it. But his friends knew he was dedicated when it came to something important.

Corona went back to making her flowers. They would go in big bouquet-like bunches on the tables around the place. It was the time of the annual Arachnian Ball, which was to be that night. Everyone was spending the day getting ready. She looked over at Hunter again and wondered why he was so enthusiastic this year about the Ball. Last year, the two of them had spent the whole day chasing down this mysterious ghost. The shadow of the ghost had been seen on the walls throughout the castle and the grounds, and several people had thought they were cursed. The ghost had turned out to be just Princess Sparkle and her spider Hotarla practicing their dance steps. After solving the mystery, it had been too late to really prepare for the Ball, so Hunter and Corona had just sat on the sidelines and watched Princess Sparkle dance. Even before Hunter came, Corona had been used to sitting on the sidelines at the Ball while others had all the fun. In fact, she never danced at the Ball before. Corona soon finished the last of the paper flowers, which she tossed on the pile.

'What makes me think that this year will be any different?' Corona thought sadly.

Yet Corona had this feeling that this year was going to be different. That something special was going to happen, but she couldn't quite figure out what.

"There! That's that!" Hunter cried excitedly.

Corona was jerked out of her thoughts and looked over. The streamers had been all put up, along with some orange Chinese-style lanterns. Prince Lumen lay lounging on the stage with one arm over his face. Hunter jumped down off the stool he was standing on, and came to join Corona.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Okay," Corona answered, smiling at him. "I'm done the flowers. I just have to put them into the bouquets."

Hunter sat down at the table. "I'll help you."

"Thanks, Hunter," Corona said. "But what do you know about paper flower bouquets?"

Hunter shrugged and picked up a bunch of flowers from the pile. "I know enough," he replied. "Let's get to work."

They spent the next half-hour arranging the flowers into bouquets and putting them in the center of all the tables. After they were done, they sat and rested awhile. Putting up decorations can be tiring work. Hunter was soon leaning on the table, fast asleep and snoring.

About an hour later, a bell rang and Hunter jerked awake.

"Uh-oh! I'm late!" he cried.

"Late for what?" Corona asked, looking over from where she lay under a tree.

"Nothing you need to worry over," Hunter answered, looking flustered. "See you later, Corona." And he dashed off.

Corona blinked in confusion. 'It's almost like he's hiding something,' she thought. 'What could he be late for that he wouldn't tell me?'

Against better judgment, she decided to follow him. It was peeking into something private, but she was too curious to let it slide. She followed him into the castle, but soon lost sight of him. Instead, she ran into Aqune. Aqune used to be an enemy of the Spider Riders, but was set free from Invectid control during the final battle with Mantid. She and Corona are Oracle's Hand-Maidens and sisters. Aqune also tended to be the more collected and wise one of the two sisters. Corona and Aqune collided and fell to the floor. Corona recovered first and helped Aqune to her feet.

"Aqune, have you seen Hunter?" she asked.

Aqune shook her head. "No. Why?"

"Well, he said he was late for something, but wouldn't tell what, and just took off."

Aqune smiled and put two and two together. "And you're wondering if he's hiding something from you."

Corona nodded, blushing sheepishly.

"I wouldn't worry," Aqune said gently. "Hunter's been really busy preparing for the Ball."

"Yeah, I wonder why he's so interested in it this time," Corona said.

Aqune shrugged. "Who knows. Anyway, I'm late for something too. I'll see you later, okay? Why don't you go and help Princess Sparkle and Lily in the kitchen?"

With that, Aqune ran off.

"Wait a minute!" Corona yelled after her sister. "I can't work in the kitchen. I can't cook!"

"So, you finally admit it," Venus commented from in the manacle spider space.

Corona frowned. "Very funny."

So, Corona decided that what Hunter was doing was none of her business and went to help Princess Sparkle and Lily in the kitchen as advised. She got there to find the two of them, along with the rest of the cooks, making the meal and desserts for the Ball. She could never remember the Arachnian Ball being such a big deal before. Corona tried to help them, but just kept making a mess. She pealed some apples for a crisp, but left more peal than apple. She then tried to help make soup, but didn't clean the vegetables first and the soup broth turned a yucky brown. Cooking was not one of Corona's strong suits. Eventually, she got discouraged and left the kitchen to look for Hunter again.

Wandering down a corridor, she came by a room where she heard voices inside. At first she thought nothing of it and was about to continue on. But then she heard "You're doing great, Hunter" from in the room. It was Aqune's voice! Corona decided she had to find out what was going on. She peeked in through the crack from the half open doorway. Hunter came into view, holding on to Aqune's waist and gliding her about the room. A couple of times, he looked like he might trip, having a bit of two left feet. But Aqune would say something and he would immediately do better. Corona frowned, feeling a pang of jealously rise up within her. Hunter was practicing dancing with Aqune in secret; just like Princess Sparkle and Hotarla did the year before. Did that mean they would dance together at the Ball too? Corona didn't think she could stand that. Before she could stop herself, she threw open the door in a fury.

"So this what you were late for!" she yelled.

"Corona!" Hunter cried in surprise, jumping about five feet in the air.

"You're practicing dancing with Aqune in secret! You're probably going to dance with her at the Ball too, right?" Corona went on angrily.

"Well, actually, I can't dance very well and Aqune…" Hunter tried to explain.

"And she can!" Corona interrupted. "What about me? Am I supposed to be a wallflower again?"

"At least you'll be used to it," Hunter said casually.

Corona glared at him. "Fine! I see how it is!" She stomped off toward the door.

Hunter then caught himself and ran after her. "Corona, wait! That didn't come out right."

"Just leave me alone!" Corona yelled angrily over her shoulder as she ran off.

"Corona, I'm sorry!" Hunter called after her. "Come back!"

But Corona had already gone.

"Nice going, champ," Shadow said sarcastically. "You got to watch your big mouth, you know that?"

Hunter glowered. "Oh, shut up."

Aqune came up and put her hand on his shoulder. "Cheer up, Hunter," she said. "It'll all work out."

Hunter sighed. "If you say so," he responded, a bit unconvinced.

So, with that, he and Aqune continued practicing.

Awhile later, Corona entered her room and slammed the door behind her. She sat on her bed and threw her pillow at the wall.

"Oh, that Hunter!" she fumed. "He can make me so mad! He has no idea how I feel about him. He is so dense!"

"Maybe," Venus agreed. "But it certainly didn't help matters with you jumping to conclusions like that and not giving him a chance to explain."

"I know what I saw, Venus," Corona said irritably.

"You know what you saw. But that doesn't mean that's what it was about."

Corona sighed, wearily placing a hand over her eyes. "I guess so."

"So, are going to the Ball?" Venus asked, changing the subject.

"I don't know, Venus. It won't be much fun if I just end up sitting on the sidelines again."

"You never know, maybe this time something special will happen. Maybe you should go."

"No, I think I'll just stay here and read tonight," Corona decided. "That way, I won't be disappointed."

"Suit yourself." Venus answered dismissively.

They spoke no more on the subjects of the Ball and Hunter that day. Corona busied herself with other tasks and tried not to look disappointed. She just couldn't go to the Ball, only to be bored and sit alone, and that was that.

That night, Corona was lying on her bed, with a book on her chest, and staring at the ceiling. She tried not to imagine what the others must be doing down at the Ball.

"There's still time to go, you know," Venus put in.

"I've already told you I'm not going," Corona grumbled.

"All right, all right," Venus said. "But it seems you're making yourself feel worse by not going."

Corona frowned, closing her eyes in annoyance. "Stay out of this!"

Then there was a knock at the door. Before Corona could get up and answer it, it opened and Aqune rushed in. She was holding a sparkling pink dress, a hairbrush, and a red ribbon. Aqune was already dressed for the Ball in a black and purple dress that came to just under her knees, and wore a butterfly beret in her hair. Corona looked at the pink dress and wondered whom it could be for. It couldn't be for her. She wasn't going to the Ball.

"What are you doing here?" Corona asked, frowning at her sister.

Aqune smiled. "Why do you think? To help you get ready for the Ball, of course."

"But I'm not going," Corona protested.

Aqune gave a determined frown. "Oh, yes, you are. You are not going sit in your room all night. You are going to that Ball and having fun with the rest of us."

"Why? So I can watch you dance with Hunter, while I be a wallflower again?"

Aqune shook her head, smiling gently. "No. As Hunter was trying to tell you, he couldn't dance very well. So, he came and asked me if I could show him how. He said he wanted to show a special friend a wonderful time."

Corona blinked in surprise. "Huh? Really? Who's that?"

Aqune smiled knowingly. "You'll see. Now let's get you prettied up. You're going to a Ball!"

Corona nodded, a bit reluctantly. She put on the dress, which fit her perfectly. Aqune then started to fix her hair. She untied Corona's ponytail, letting her long blonde hair flow down. And then she brushed it until it was thick and lush. Aqune then tied the ribbon around Corona's hair like a headband. The outfit was finished off with glittering pink shoes to match the dress. When it was done, Corona looked at herself in the mirror.

"You look nice," Aqune commented.

"Thanks, Aqune," Corona said. "You know, I don't remember you being so persuasive."

Aqune giggled. "Neither do I. Well, we'd better go or they'll start without us."

"Okay."

And they hurried off.

Soon, they arrived down at the Ball. It was a beautiful setting. The orange lanterns gave the place a calm feel, and some glitter had been sprinkled on the paper flower bouquets. Corona couldn't remember the Arachnian Ball looking so magical. Usually it was just a casual event, with hardly any decorations and people only came to chat with friends. She and Aqune sat down at a table. They watched Princess Sparkle and Hotarla do their latest dance for everyone, and ate some apple crisp. All the while, Corona kept glancing around for Hunter, but she couldn't see him anywhere. Maybe he wasn't coming at all.

"This is silly, Aqune," she muttered grumpily. "I'm just sitting on the sidelines like I always have."

"Be patient," Aqune said.

Corona sighed and stood up. "Nah, I'm going back."

"What's your hurry, Corona?" someone else asked.

"I've given up waiting for…" Corona started to reply. She stopped in mid-sentence and turned around. "Hunter!" she blurted out.

Hunter beamed at her. "Hi Corona."

"H-H-Hi," Corona stammered out, a hint of blush showing on her cheeks.

Hunter was wearing a blue tux-like outfit, with a white shirt, and a light blue vest, and white gloves. In a way, it looked similar to his battle outfit. Corona stared at him, trying to think of the last time she saw him appear this dashing.

Hunter held out his hand to her. "May I have this dance?"

"But I've never danced before," Corona protested. "What if I make a fool of myself?"

"You won't. Aqune taught me to dance in just two days. I can help you."

"But…"

"No buts, Corona," Aqune interrupted. "You are Hunter's special person and tonight is your night."

"But… I'm always the wallflower," Corona insisted.

"Not tonight," Aqune said, smiling. "Tonight, you are going to dance. I can be the wallflower this time."

Corona didn't know what to say or do. Inside, she was ecstatic. She was Hunter's special person after all. She felt like jumping in joy. But then again, she still believed she couldn't bring herself to dance. She had always been the one who sat on the sidelines or in a dark corner at the Ball. It felt strange to change now, even if it was with Hunter.

"I can't," she said slowly. "I…"

"Never give up."

Corona looked up at that, and straight into Hunter's eyes. He looked back, a kind confident expression on his face.

"Huh?" Corona said shyly.

Hunter smiled and winked at her. "Never give up, Corona."

That did it. For the first time all day, Corona smiled. She could never argue with Hunter whenever he told her that. It always made her feel happy and that she had nothing to worry about. Corona then took Hunter's hand and he led her onto the dance floor. Hunter stopped and pulled out a rose. He then reached up and put it in Corona's hair.

"Much better," he said, nodding his head in satisfaction.

Corona put her arms around his neck and he automatically put his arms around her waist. And with that, they started to dance, Hunter leading the way as he glided and twirled her about the dance floor. Corona then thought about the rose he had put in her hair.

"What is much better?" she asked.

"The flower in your hair," Hunter replied, blushing slightly. "It makes you look so pretty. You know, you were the one who changed my mind on flowers."

Corona looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yup. That time, I saw you smelling that field of flowers in Fragrant Blooms."

"So, it was me and the flowers that caused you to fight so fiercely then?"

Hunter nodded. "Yup. You mean more to me than you think, Corona."

Corona stared at him. Hunter stopped dancing her around. He got this funny worried expression on his face, like wondering if he maybe should not have told her. Then, Corona smiled warmly and leaned her head on his chest.

"Thank you."

"Heh. You're welcome."

Hunter then took her hand in his, put his other hand on her waist, and they started to dance again.

'At last, I know how he feels about me,' Corona thought happily.

She couldn't think of any other place she'd rather be right now than here with Hunter. She was in contented bliss. It had turned out to be a special night at the Ball after all.

THE END


End file.
